Sunday, February 21, 2010

Ryan Yessie's Thoughts on Several Games

Ryan returns with thoughts on several OHL teams and players...

"With only a few weeks left in the OHL season I will be busy. Not only will I be catching the remaining 7 home games in Sarnia I will be traveling to Guelph and London to catch a few road games, so expect plenty of info on the Storm and Knights to round out the season, also I may be making a trip or two to see some playoff action at one of the cities in my area. So no Sting playoffs doesn't mean no playoff action for myself in one or more of Windsor, London, Kitchener, Guelph------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I was able to catch some action on Sportsnet as well as Cogeco this afternoon January 17th. So here's just a few thoughts on a couple player performances i felt were worth noting.

John McFarland - #18 - C - YOB: 1992 - 6‘1” - 195lbs.NHL: Eligible in 2010Report: Jan/17/10 - McFarland seemed to float a lot in this game. He made a few pretty bad plays with the puck, but seems to have some decent skating skills. Saw him last year and wasn’t overwhelmed with his talent either. Also he appeared to be more focused on getting back on defence rather than engaging in battles for the puck several times.Marcus Foligno - #71 - LW - YOB: 1991 - 6‘3” - 216lbs.NHL: 4th Round - 104th Overall by Buffalo in 2009 Report: Jan/17/10 - Foligno seems focused on doing all the little things right. This may have been his issue this season in terms of producing points as he may just not have got the right bounces. That does speak well for his NHL potential as he’s likely to check in as a 3rd linewinger anyways, but it would be nice, and would bring more confidence if he is able to start producing at the OHL level.Ben Chiarot - #7 - D - YOB: 1991 - 6‘3” - 222lbs.NHL: 4th Round - 120th Overall by Atlanta in 2009 Report: Jan/17/10 - Chiarot seems a lot more confident carrying the puck out, than he did last year. He seems content with making the smart/safe play every time, however last year when he was put under pressure he made several mistakes. He seems to be a lot more confident when handling the puck overall this year.Sam Carrick - #16 - C - YOB: 1992 - 6‘0” - 188lbs.NHL: Eligible in 2010 Carrick scored a beautiful goal while fighting off two Sting defencemen, then banging home his own rebound. It’s a “take it for what it’s worth” kinda goal for me personally because this is the 3rd time I’ve seen Carrick play this season, and the first time he’s made a play that has impressed me.Philip Lane - #10 - RW - YOB: 1992 - 6‘2” - 194lbs.NHL: Eligible in 2010 Lane seemed to try to force the play a few times when it wasn’t there. He played Hard in all 3 zones. However he got away with a clear hit from behind on a Sarnia player who was already on his way down and vulnerable------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Guelph traveled to Sarnia on January 21st Sarnia put up a fight for a while but eventually it was Guelph's big 3 that put the game away in the 3rd period.

Peter Holland - #13 - C - YOB: 1991 - 6‘2” - 195lbs.NHL: 1st Round - 15th Overall by Anaheim in 2009 Report: Jan/21/10 - Holland looked impressive out there, continues to be better at skating and won a few races. Holland was very responsible defensively, and good in the faceoff circle tonight. Holland contributes with an assist on the game winning goal. Again Holland doesn’t shoot as much as I’d like him to, and when he does release it, it’s an absolute laser every time I see it. If there’s one thing in his game that needs to be worked on, it’s his willingness to shoot the puck from more angles.(Holland had 1A, 2 PIM, +2)Michael Latta - #17 - LW - YOB: 1991 - 5‘11” - 205lbs.NHL: 3rd Round - 72nd Overall by Nashville in 2009 Report: Jan/21/10 - Latta was very inconsistent tonight. At times he was good at getting involved in the play along the walls, or carrying the puck out, but then he’d disappear for about a period or so. He came out again when the game had already seen it’s winning goal, but scores the insurance marker and then an empty net goal with only seconds left to give himself 2 goals. Latta is hard to predict going forward, however he does appear to have several transferable skills to the NHL the fact that he’s under 6 ft. and inconsistent may take him a while to get to that level.(Latta had 2G)Taylor Beck - #19 - RW - YOB: 1991 - 6‘1” - 202lbs.NHL: 3rd Round - 70th Overall by Nashville in 2009 Report: Jan/21/10 - Beck is a guy I take a little credit in picking up on. A lot of people knocked him for his skating, but personally I didn’t find it to be that much of an issue. Sure enough he’s having a breakout season this year in the OHL. Although it is his one area that needs the most work, he seems to be improving by baby steps, but hopefully they keep him in Guelph through his junior career as Guelph has an excellent skating coach, that has already done wonders with Peter Holland. The one area I actually want to see Beck improve more so than skating would be for him to add a nasty side to his game. He’s a decent checker, but if he can really get a mean streak going that would make him that much more effective in the power forward role.(Beck had 1G, +3)Cody McNaughton - #22 - RW - YOB: 1992 - 5‘9” - 172lbs.NHL: Eligible in 2011 Report: Jan/21/10 - Undersized, but with a lot of pure talent McNaughton is a bit of a disappointment to me nearing the end of his 2nd OHL season. I really saw McNaughton as eventually becoming a go to guy for Guelph. He plays with a great edge which is nice to see out of player his size, but ultimately reminds me of former Sting player Daniel Lombardi who was another undersized player that played with an edge, and was able to produce just not up to the level that would legitimize him as an NHL prospect. McNaughton is slowly entering that territory, but fortunately for him he’s a late 1992 birthdate so he will not enter the draft until next year. But there is no question a strong finish this year, combined with a big season next year is absolutely critical if McNaughton wants a professional hockey career. Of note McNaughton was the only Storm player who finished the game with a minus rating.(McNaughton had 2 PIM, -1)------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Jordan Hill returned to play in Sarnia one last time. The former hometown captain of the sting lead the Saginaw Spirit into Sarnia and assisted in demolishing his former team 7-2.

Anthony Camara - #15 - RW - YOB: 1993 - 6‘0” - 179lbs.NHL: Eligible in 2011 Report: Jan/29/10 - If there is a Milan Lucic type player coming out of the OHL anytime soon, I would think Anthony Camara would deserve some serious consideration. He looks much biger than his 6’0” - 179 listing and he had one of the best fights of the year against Brent Sullivan of Sarnia, then came out and despite being 16 went after overager and one of the toughest players in the league in Kyle Neuber. Although he may have regretted the decision to go after Neuber during/after the fight, the fact remains that this is a 16 year old rookie playing like a tenacious 18 year old. Camara drove the puck well, as well as driving his body through anyone that got in his way. Also he made a few smart plays with moving the puck over the course of the game. Camara is an interesting player going forward in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.(Camara had 1A, 10PIM)Ryan O’Connor - #21 - D - YOB: 1992 - 5‘9” - 179lbs.NHL: Eligible in 2010 Report: Jan/29/10 - Again, before every time I watch him play, I think to myself.. Ok look closely, because I must be missing something. There has to be a reason why I have him ranked so high, and everyone else doesn’t rank him. Yet every time I watch O’Connor play, he is just outstanding. O’Connor’s problems stem from his size which he is only 5’9” and his consistency which I must describe for you to get a handle on how up/down his consistency is. He started out with 5pts in 3games, then later 3pts in 14games. Immediately following that he put up 6pts in 5games which was succeeded by 8 games where he went pointless with a -10 rating. Then in January he got 9 goals, and 15 pts. in 16 games. He is currently pointless in 3 games now. O’Connor is basically this year’s version of Ryan Ellis. He has a monster blast from the point, he’s in my opinion a better skater than Ellis was last year at this time, and he throws the body like he’s 6’2 - 210, and has actually made some devastating hits this year despite his size. O’Connor is a guy who I can understand the low ranking, but the possibility of all 30 teams passing on him if he’s there in the 6th or 7th round would be hard for me to believe.(O’Connor had 2G, +1)Josh Shalla - #25 - LW - YOB: 1991 - 6‘1” - 187lbs.NHL: Eligible in 2010 Report: Jan/29/10 - Shalla basically took off where he left off the last time I watched him play. His shot comes off his stick like a bullet from a gun, his release is impressive, and overall there’s not too many OHL net minders that would be able to stop Shalla point blank if he’s given enough time. While his ability to shoot the puck is extremely impressive, his skating is the absolute opposite. He lost races to players who were exhausted from a long shift, or guys who are just not very good skaters at all. He had trouble jumping into the play, and although his play along the boards was good, he was only able to get into a battle for the puck on a few occasions because of how weak his skating ability is. Shalla should get drafted this year, but don’t expect it to be very high as he’s a bit of a project(Shalla had 1G, +1)------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Sarnia appeared to be en route to their first win in 12 games. Jumping out to an early 2-0 lead, and controlling the crippled Owen Sound team that was without 3 key forwards, as well as 2 of their top 4 defencemen. However after Campbell allowed 3 goals in 26 seconds during the 2nd period, the doors opened for a 5-3 victory for the Attack over the Sting.Steven Shipley - #19 - C - YOB: 1992 - 6‘2” - 204lbs.NHL: Eligible in 2010 Report: Feb/5/10 - Shipley is a guy who last year I projected higher than the offensive Hishon. The often injured Hishon was out of the line-up tonight and Shipley took over. Although he protected the puck well, and had some decent skating abilities for someone his size, he really looks like someone, who if he had a highly skilled winger he could be very effective in all areas of the offensive game. Shipley did a lot of the work himself with the puck, and netted a hat trick. Although the last goal was with an empty net and 1.6 seconds on the clock. He did manage to score the 3rd goal in 26 seconds on Campbell that put Owen Sound back into the game, and then scored short handed to give Owen Sound the lead midway through the 3rd. I’m going to see Shipley again on the 19th and will be interested to see if I see the same dominant force that played on the 5th.(Shipley had 3G, +2)Geoffrey Schemitsch - #26 - D - YOB: 1992 - 6‘1” - 180lbs.NHL: Eligible in 2010 Report: Feb/5/10 - Schemitsch is a player I wanted to keep a close eye on. Considered as this year’s Calvin De Haan, Schemitsch when given space and time is a very effective puck mover, however he made a decent number of mental errors when under pressure, or needing to move the puck quickly. Whether this is just him still adjusting to the OHL, or if he has legitimate issues when being put under pressure is still a question, but he is another individual I’m looking forward to seeing on the 19th and seeing how he does.(Schemitsch had 1A, +2)Cameron Brace - #7 - RW - YOB: 1993 - 5‘9” - 160lbs.NHL: Eligible in 2011 Report: Feb/5/10 - I wanted to make a quick note on Brace as he was not someone I was paying much attention to. However he made himself known by carrying the puck and displaying some outstanding speed. He moved the puck as well as he carried it, and was a critical factor in Owen Sound’s victory. He should be interesting to watch heading towards the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.(Brace had 2A, +2)------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Finally after losing 16 straight games, the lowly Sarnia Sting were able to lay down a beating on the Sudbury Wolves. Jesse Stoughton starred scoring two highlight reel goals, and sparked the Sting offensive that eventually scored 4 goals in 5 minutes on the Wolves to start the 3rd period to solidify a 6-2 victory.Justin Sefton - #3 - D - YOB: 1991 - 6‘3” - 199lbs.NHL: Eligible in 2011 Report: Feb/15/10 - Sefton was effective defensively as well as physically. He was basically exactly what I expected him to be. Defensive first, physical with good selection of when to hit and when to remain in position, and was a reliable defenceman for Sudbury. He was decent in moving the puck, although it appears pretty obvious his future potential does not lie in the offensive part of the game.(Sefton had 2PIM)Ben Chiarot - #7 - D - YOB: 1991 - 6‘3” - 222lbs.NHL: 4th Round - 120th Overall by Atlanta in 2009 Report: Feb/15/10 - Chiarot has developed well. He moves the puck a lot better, and seems to have developed a little more of an offensive game. Also his skating is pretty good for someone his size. However the biggest knock on Chiarot is his puck handling when under pressure, as well as not only the penalties he takes, but the timing of them. Both minor penalties were very unnecessary and either directly or eventually resulted in goals for Sarnia at critical parts of the game. Chiarot however did make up with the first with a goal of his own a minute later, a smart shot on a bit of an aggressive move from the point, but overall there is a lot of good and a lot of bad in his game still.(Chiarot had 1G, -2, 4 PIM)

John McFarland - #18 - C - YOB: 1992 - 6‘1” - 195lbs.NHL: Eligible in 2010 Report: Feb/15/10 - McFarland showed just where his top 10 potential came from in this game. Although he did disappear a little when the game was over, McFarland showed great athleticism on a number of plays, and showed that he has breakout speed which I didn’t expect out of McFarland. He has an excellent shot, and his awareness of what was going on looked good. It seems to me that his game to game involvement may be the major issue with McFarland, seeing as I watched him play earlier this year on Sportsnet and he didn’t show nearly the heart and determination showed in this game. If this was the everyday John McFarland I’d say he might belong in the top 10 despite the fact he didn’t put up any points.Jared Staal - #27 - RW - YOB: 1991 - 6‘4” - 198lbs.NHL: 2nd round - 49th overall by Phoenix in 2008 Report: Feb/15/10 - Staal had a decent game. He was protecting the puck well, he threw a few decent hits along with one pretty big hit. He wasn’t much of a weapon in terms of producing offense, but Jared is not your typical Staal forward. Jared is typically most effective when he’s working hard along the boards, or if he was parked in front of the net, that would be a good place as he has the size of his brothers Jordan and Eric but not the pure offensive talent. There’s no doubt he’s got NHL potential, but it would be as a bottom 6 grind line player.(Staal had 1A, -1)Daniel Maggio - #55 - D - YOB: 1991 - 6‘3” - 202lbs.NHL: 6th Round - 170th Overall by NY Rangers in 2009 Report: Feb/15/10 - I was not really all that impressed with Maggio when I watched him play last year, and that continues into this year. Maggio was used on the power play, and was effective physically and cutting off angles for approaching forwards, but he was a penalty machine. He only received 4 minor penalties, but could have had 3x that amount with the way he played. A lot of the time it appeared he didn’t want to skate and would rather just hook or hold, and would have been an effective defenceman in the old NHL. Maggio seemed uninvolved or frustrated at several points of this game, which peaked with 2 seconds left when he threw a massive two hander at a Sarnia rookie which drew the attention of 6’7” Flemington who attempted to fight Maggio, and Daniel was not willing to oblige.(Maggio had 1A, -1, 8 PIM)

Marcus Foligno - #71 - LW - YOB: 1991 - 6‘3” - 216lbs.NHL: 4th Round - 104th Overall by Buffalo in 2009 Report: Feb/15/10 - Foligno is a player who I was pretty impressed with tonight. He played hard for the most part of this game, and was involved in the play whether it be in the offensive or defensive zone. Foligno may not have the offensive potential of his brother Nick, but definitely has size and knows how to use it either in battles along the boards, or throwing a hit. Although Foligno didn’t dominate in creating offensive chances, he was involved on a few plays, and seems to be one of those playesr that does all the little things right, that a team needs to win a game. I suppose it’s possible for Foligno to land a spot on the second line in the NHL, but he’s more likely to become a 3rd line energy player with upside. Overall I was happy with his performance today(Foligno had 2 PIM)------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

About Me

Brock Otten is a former writer for Hockeysfuture and has contributed to PuckLife magazine, in addition to other hockey websites (UHN, LSR, etc). All articles of this blog also appear at www.thescout.ca